2016 has come and gone, and I’ve been terrible this year! To say I failed my last year’s resolutions would be an understatement, and I’ll explain why before we launch into 2017’s.
Find the center of No Man’s Sky – The game did come out this year, but it was far too boring to find the center of the universe. Plus, I saw it in a YouTube video, and it made me happy to give up.
Sink 100+ hours into Dragon Quest VII – My biggest disappointment of them all. I made it about 30 hours into the game before I felt the need to take a break. This is a long, grueling game that, while fun, can feel like a real chore at times. Its reputation as such is no lie. Those looking to play it for the first time better be prepared before heading in. I was prepared, and I still failed! Plus, its mini-story style makes it hard to remember where I left off from.
Wallop Dark Souls III and rise to the top once again – Nope, didn’t even play it. Dark Souls III was a flash in the pan, and it only attracted the hardcore followers this year. This is why the series needs a break! A series once praised for being so fresh is now as played out as the AAA games it rescued us from.
Knock out a few games from my Ys backlog – Well, I knocked out a game from my Ys backlog, and it was a really fun game too. Oath of Felghana… work of art! So much fun. I’d like to continue this one into 2017 if I can find the time.
Complete the Tri-force – Heh heh… nope, I didn’t do this one in Breath of the Wild or any Zelda game for that matter. The only Legend of Zelda game I played this year was Link’s Awakening, and Link collects instruments in that one. You can bet I’ll be doing it in 2017 though, just you wait!
And now for 2017… oh man. I’m not going to be able to do many of these, I can already tell.
Beat Final Fantasy… as in, the original game
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I got my NES Classic Edition for Christmas, and I promised myself it wouldn’t be just a fad present. I want to see how long this little device can last, and the game with the most legs on it is clearly the original Final Fantasy. I’m a huge fan of the series and having never beat this, in its original 8-bit form at least, the time has finally come to do so.
I’ve played and beaten other versions, Dawn of Souls on the Game Boy Advance to be more exact, but I want the real deal. I want those rough graphics, that blippy music, and yes, the long grind sessions. This game requires lots of random battles to make any kind of progress.
But, I requested the NES Classic Edition for two reasons, and playing it on cold winter mornings will only get me so far. Final Fantasy, and maybe both Legend of Zelda games will help me drag it out.
Beat Final Fantasy… as in the XIII trilogy
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I’ve dabbled and frolicked a decent way into all of these, but I’ve never crossed the finish line in any of them. Their ridiculous storytelling, awkward characters, and world design just rub me the wrong way to the point where I always need to stop if I find myself in a forgiving mood.
However, I recently was in enough of a forgiving mood to go back and bury the hatched with Final Fantasy VIII, and now… I think I really like it. 17 years of having the wrong opinion for a game I’m genuinely enjoying. That’s no way to live.
Final Fantasy XIII can’t be my dark horse forever. Something’s going to have to give, and I’ll try to start this year while the series is fresh in my mind.
Keep the retro spirit burning bright
Two years ago, I failed at my resolution to stop romanticizing the past and live more in the now. I just love old video games, the state of mind they put me in, and the pixelated worlds the take me to. Old JRPGs, classic action platformers, blocky polygons and gorgeous sprites, I just can’t get enough of it.
In 2017, I plan to do the opposite. I had a blast in 2016 playing lots of my old favorites, and I enjoyed gaming more than I have in recent years. If it’s just the older games that make me truly happy, I need to just accept that and move on with it.
Now, I don’t mean to exclusively play old games. I certainly didn’t miss out on Final Fantasy XV, and I don’t plan on skipping Persona 5 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. New games, especially from the tried and true series that I’ve loved since I was in diapers, still have plenty to offer. I just want to make sure I spend time playing the games I love, no matter when they come from.
Don’t deny my attraction to… Overwatch
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Something weird happened in 2016. One of my favorites games was a multiplayer game! I thought multiplayer and I had drifted too far from one another to ever reconcile, but then I played Ovewatch and got hooked.
I started late in the year, so I’m still finding my footing, but I really like it. I’m able to set aside a few hours here and there, digging into my JRPG and retro gaming time even. I want to be good at this game, but more importantly, I want to make sure that it is something I can sustain. I’m tired of moving from single player experience to single player experience.
There’s nothing wrong with taking a break from huge adventures to shoot your way through a few deathmatches. Joey has sunk an absurd amount of hours into it, so obviously it can be done.
And no, this attraction to Overwatch has nothing to do with Mei… who I main and am trying to collect loot for. Oh, Mei… how can such a cold woman melt a man’s heart so thoroughly?
Catch ’em all!
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I’m at 120 Pokémon in Pokémon GO, and I’ll be at 146 before the end of the year! The entirety of Gen. 1 will be mine before 2017 comes to an end!
Play something new, maybe?
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Oh yeah, games are coming out in 2017, aren’t they? Hmmm… Persona 5, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and whatever Super Mario game comes out for the Nintendo Switch. Buy ’em, and beat ’em. I’ll do it!